Koffi, Pokemon Go attract highest amount of traffic on Google in July

NAIROBI, Kenya, August 1, 2016:Google search trends for the month of July indicate that Congolese musician Koffi Olomide was the most trending search term and personality in Kenya.

The Rhumba maestro, who is one of Africa’s veteran music stars, sent people online after he was arrested and deported on Saturday, July 23 after a clip of him kicking one of his dancers was made public by Kenyan media.

July’s second trending search was Manchester United footballer, Paul Pogba after he was officially confirmed as a Manchester United player again after his world record £100 million move was finally sealed on July 28.

Third on the list was free-to-play location-based, augmented reality game Pokemon Go as people went online to find out more about the mobile phone game that lets you catch over 150 Pokemon, colorful and cute cartoon monsters that are found everywhere around you, while the Kisii accident that claimed the lives of eight people and critically injured two others, when a lorry collided with two cars at Etora in Bobasi sub-county, was the fourth trending search in July.

The 15th UEFA European Championship final, known to many as Euro 2016 final, between Portugal and France was the fifth trending search as football fans went online to find out more about the match and possibly watch the match highlights.

Other trending searches were: Eid Mubarak, as people turned to search to find out more about the traditional Muslim greeting reserved for use on the festivals of Eid ul-Adha and Eid ul-Fitr; Kapenguria Attack, after a rogue police officer held hostage and killed seven of his counterparts at Kapenguria Police Station; Melania Trump, after she was accused of plagiarizing part of U.S First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech during her Republican National Convention address; Theresa May, after she was made UK Prime Minister following David Cameron’s resignation and Alton Sterling, after he was shot several times while being held on the ground by police outside a convenience store in Louisiana, USA.

The month of July also saw curious Kenyans turn to search to find accurate answers to their questions. “What is Pokemon go?” was the most trending “what is” search as people sought to find out more about the augmented reality mobile phone game while “What is the time in Australia?” was second on the list. This is a recurring “what is” search as people also turned to Google to find out the time in China, India, Dallas, Illinois and Birmingham-Alabama. People also asked Google “what is Bastille Day?” which is the French National Day, celebrated on 14 July each year. Other “what is” searches were: What is dyspepsia?; What is UNCTAD?; What is anthrax?; What is the cause of dry lips?; What is the cause of blood in stool?; What is schizophrenia? and What is rheumatoid arthritis?

The “how to” category was dominated by Kenyans seeking to learn how to cook their favourite dishes. However, “How to play pokemon go” was first on the list of trending “how to” searches as people went online to learn how to play the game.

Kenyans turned to Google to find out how to go about making their favourite snacks as “How to make samosa”; “How to make meat pie” and “How to make a cake” occupied the second, third and fourth positions on the “how to” trending searches list while “how to make chapatis” was fifth. Other trending “how to” searches were: “How to approach a girl in a cool way”; “How to make kebabs”; “How to make pineapple juice”; “How to survive in campus” and “How to make pilau rice with meat”.

Trending Searches

Koffi Olomide

Paul Pogba

Pokemon Go

Kisii Accident

Euro 2016 Final

Eid Mubarak

Kapenguria Attack

Melania trump

Theresa May

Alton Sterling

Trending Personalities

Koffi Olomide

Paul Pogba

Melania Trump

Theresa May

Arlton Sterling

Takuma Asano

Willie Kimani

Blaise Matuidi

Benjamin Netanyahu

Gugu Zulu

Trending Events

UEFA Euro 2016 Final

UNCTAD

Eid al-Fitr

Kapenguria Attack

Dallas Shooting

Tukey Coup

Wimbledon 2016

Museveni Challenge

Koroga Festival

Munich Shooting

Trending “What is” Searches

What is Pokemon go?

What is the time in Australia?

What is Bastille Day?

What is dyspepsia?

What is UNCTAD?

What is anthrax?

What is the cause of dry lips?

What is the cause of blood in stool?

What is schizophrenia?

What is rheumatoid arthritis?

Trending “How to” Searches

How to play pokemon go

How to make samosa

How to make meat pie

How to make a cake

How to cook chapati

How to approach a girl in a cool way

How to make kebabs

How to make pineapple juice

How to survive in campus

How to make pilau rice with meat

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KEN MACHARIA @Kenmacharia is the business and tech editor at CapitalFM. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Communication from the University of Nairobi and has six years experience in media.